Zimmerman adapts the influential collection of Persian, Indian and Arabic tales, The Book of The Thousand Nights and One Night, into a resonating stage play. Her play tells the age-old story of a young maiden who must captivate her husband with spellbinding narratives each night to postpone her impending demise at his hands.

FYI

"The Arabian Nights" runs Feb. 8-17 at Bonstelle Theatre at 4743 Cass Ave. Tickets are $12-$15 and are available by calling 313-577-2960, by visiting www.bonstelle.com, or by visiting the Wayne State University Theatres' Box Office, on the corner of Cass and Hancock.

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Featuring a large ensemble cast, "The Arabian Nights" follows the young maiden, Scheherezade, as she tempts fate each night with the help of a troupe of colorful characters who shift between roles as each one of her new tales unfold. Sprawling rugs and lush drapery dominate an otherwise sparse stage, transporting the audience from her husband's bed chamber to exotic locales that are imagined simply through performance and the power of words -- a spectacle to be seen.

Each one of Scheherezade's nightly fables displays a universality that originated centuries ago, spreading through oral tradition, the written page and, now, the stage. Famed fictional icons from The Thousand Nights and One Night, Aladdin, Sinbad and Ali Baba, are omitted in favor of the lesser-known, humanistic tales featuring such characters as Perfect Love and Huran al-Rashid, which shine just as brightly as their celebrated counterparts. These ancient tales of love, hilarity, and sorrow break down the barrier of the unknown, revealing a piece of each audience member within the stories on-stage.

Nominated in 1994 for a Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Director of a Play) for "The Arabian Nights," Zimmerman's original inspiration behind writing the play was political in nature: 1991's Gulf War.

Reflecting on this period to the Kansas City Star in 2009, she stated, "In the build-up to war, as in all build-ups to all wars, there was a lot of stuff on the news that I felt was geared toward making the viewer think that the people in the Middle East were somehow different than ourselves ... that somehow their grief would be less when we go to war with them."

With the power of storytelling as her weapon, she set out to remind the world that we are more similar than we realize, regardless of culture or geographic location.

As the United States continues its immersion in the conflict in the Middle East, with seemingly no end in sight, "The Arabian Nights" continues to be as relevant today as it was 20 years ago, if not more.

According to Zimmerman, "This culture ... in fact, is much older than our own and has a very rich literary and poetic and artistic history," a history that will come alive on the Bonstelle Theatre's stage.

The Bonstelle Theatre is a Broadway-style House with a 1,143-seat auditorium featuring a balcony. Here, future stars of theatre, film, and television follow in the footsteps of such successful alumni as Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning S. Epatha Merkerson (NBC's "Law and Order," "Lackawanna Blues"), Lily Tomlin ("9 to 5," ABC's "Desperate Housewives") and Ernie Hudson ("Ghostbusters", NBC's "Heroes"). For box office hours and information on performances, tickets, group discounts and corporate packages, call the box office at 313-577-2960 or visit the theatre's website at www.bonstelle.com.

Season sponsored by CBS Outdoor, Between the Lines and Encore Michigan.